Midtown Residential Project The Standard Gets Revised Look

Already well underway at the corner of Vandeventer and Forest Park Avenues in the city’s Midtown neighborhood, The Standard has yet to settle on a final design. According to nextSTL sources, the Park Central Development Corporation is set to endorse a revised plan featuring a flat roof and a full Hardie Board facade.

Early this month, developer Sangita asked Park Central to support a revision in materials. Essentially, the revised project would have replaced the stone first floor with brick, and the upper brick floors with Hardie Board, while keeping the peaked roof. The change was meant to reduce building costs. The Standard is being developed without subsidy such as tax abatement.

{the Vandeventer facade (Forest Park facade at top)}

Changes to The Standard are presumably entirely aesthetic. With the building under construction, the footprint, parking, and site plan are very unlikely to change. At a glance, it does appear that the future possibility of converting first floor space to retail may have been eliminated, a choice that seems shortsighted with the coming Ikea, Midtown Station, and other significant developments nearby.

{a closer look at the Forest Park facade at Vandeventer}

The Standard will offer approximately 400 parking spaces in a structured garage wrapped by the residential building. Access will be from the existing alley on the north side of the site. Marketing primarily to students, amenities will include study rooms and social spaces. The property will feature several five bedroom units.

About Alex Ihnen

Alex is the owner and editor of nextSTL.com. He earned a B.A. in Journalism and Masters in Public Affairs at Indiana University and has studied in Adelaide, Australia and Perugia, Italy. Alex can be found on Twitter @alexihnen and reached at [email protected]

The entire facade could be masonry and it could be wonderful or awful depending on the design. The entire facade can be cement board and it could be either wonderful or awful as well. In my opinion the final as built product is awful. But cement board in and of itself is not to blame. Also, keep in mind that there are much better cement board products than Hardie. Denver has quite few high end condo developments that use cement board as their primary material. Some are great and some not so great.

Alex Ihnen

Good points. The materials lists many STL neighborhoods use are shortsighted for just this reason. Mainly they read, brick-brick-brick – no cement panels. But that can miss the point. The challenge is that no wants to judge aesthetics or design because it’s considered too subjective, but it’s necessary. An architectural review board would be nice.

The top rendering has a bit of a white outline hidden in the clouds. Is this the parking garage? Does this mean that the building will NOT completely hide the parking garage?

Alex Ihnen

Yes, I think that from a straight on perspective – meaning at a distance and elevated, the top of the garage will be visible. My guess is that it won’t be visible when nearer, or at street level, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it will be seen when driving down FP Ave. In the end, a glimpse of the garage may be the smallest of architectural crimes.

Alex Ihnen

Yes, I think that from a straight on perspective – meaning at a distance and elevated, the top of the garage will be visible. My guess is that it won’t be visible when nearer, or at street level, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it will be seen when driving down FP Ave. In the end, a glimpse of the garage may be the smallest of architectural crimes.

Imran

To use a phrase that increasingly comes in handy at such times,
Its better than the Aventura.
Though I do wish they would avoid the blank wall area facing Vandeventer. How about a couple of fake windows even?

Presbyterian

I think the new design is an improvement. I realize people in the US complain about fiber cement board, but I’m not convinced the criticisms are always justified. (If cost were the only driver, they’d go with vinyl.)

Cement panels are a very common construction finish in western Europe. Look at new construction in Amsterdam or Copenhagen or Stockholm. That’s not plaster.

It’ll match the Ikea. A Swede will just think he’s at home.

Alex Ihnen

This is Hardie Board – I believe. If done well, it lasts decades and stays looking nice.

Alex Ihnen

Here’s an example of more colorful Hardie Board (at least I think it is):

Presbyterian

You should take a look at the Hardie Europe website. Europeans have been working with this stuff longer than we have and know how to do it right. http://www.jameshardieeu.com/

Presbyterian

Try the France option.

JCougar

I’m fine with the peaked roof and even the brick, but the Hardie Board will make this thing look like it belongs in a McCommunity built on the outskirts of Olathe, KS.

The stuff you put on the wall before you put up tile? Really? That’s legal? It’ll be hideous.

Mike F

Yes, there are products which are used to back tile, hence ‘backerboard’. However, my guess (and only a guess) is that the concrete/fiber mix for exterior decorative finishing board is a finer texture, whereas the backerboard has a rougher finish, to encourage adhesion of the tile.

Alex Ihnen

This provides an interesting point from which to consider project subsidies. Would it be worth tax abatement on this project to have a couple stories of it wrapped in brick and stone?

Adam

disappointing. this place will look like crap in 10-15 years.

Adam

to clarify, i’m fine with the aesthetic but the materials are substandard.

Paul Hohmann

Well that went from pretty decent to crap awfully fast. Next revision: cardboard.

moe

Have to agree…..now it’ll blend in with everything else. I’ll take fries with that order please.

Usually renderings cover over bad buildings with great drawings (that can fool bankers and alderpersons), but these revisions are painfully honest.

John

Future retail should have been a requirement to get approval. They should have to do it, period.

STLEnginerd

Agree, lack of ground floor retail is the most troubling part of this design. Even If it was just a couple corner shops I’d be all in. My first choice would be a Kaldi’s considering their roasting facility will now be two block away.

I am fine with the Hardie board. This place was never going to be of cutting edge design at least now it’s more honest to the name. They build like this in other hotter markets all the time and the usually look very nice if a little plain after its all said and done. Not every project has to be game changing. This is going to be standard.

John R

I agree on need for retail…. even just a modest corner spot wrapping FPP and Vandy would be a big boost. My desired spot for Kaldi’s actually would be right across the street from the roasting facility…. new construction where that vacant lot with the ugly billboards are located; its right off the Vandeventer exit for 64/40, so its a great location for retail and would get rid of some blight.